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Do You Know How to Split Wood By Hand

If you have a fireplace or wood-burning stove, you will need to learn how to chop wood. You could buy firewood already chopped, but it’s much cheaper to do it by yourself. You only need a good pair of gloves, eye protection, a sharp, lightweight wood splitters maul, and these firewood processing tips from the popular YouTube channel The Art of Manliness.

Select a large, thick chuck of wood or tree stump with a smooth surface.


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This will be your chopping block. Place another chunk of wood on top. Stand about two feet away. Spread your feet so they are about shoulder width. You need to be well balanced, so do not rush.

Practice your swing before actually chopping. Place the maul in your dominant hand. Stand straight. Swing your arms back and over in a smooth, easy motion, sliding one hand down the handle during the descent. You do not need to bend your back or use all of your might into the swing. Gravity will provide most of the force needed to split the wood. You just need to put the maul’s blade in the right place.

Aim for the center of the wood chunk. This avoids the chunk flying off to possibly hit you. Your maul will most likely not go through the chunk. Lift the maul and chunk and bring it down again. It will eventually split. Like with anything else, chopping wood gets easier with practice.